Motivation Ashley Rogers

Every child is asked the inevitable question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My response as far back as I can remember had always been, “Well, I want to be a lawyer”. I always received some strange looks from adults for my unusually mature answer, but I was always fascinated by the law. I looked up to my uncle, a lawyer practicing in Boston, whom I constantly barraged with questions about his latest case. I even became the resident lawyer of the 6th grade. At recess I would settle disputes between my arguing peers. Ever the professional, I carried around my purple unicorn-adorned binder full of signed contracts between the conflicting parties. Play time with friends often revolved around my mock court cases, and I loved every minute of it.

Always a quiet child, I became even more introverted during my teenage years. The more my family and other adults labeled me as shy, the more anxious I became over public speaking. I was always a bright student, but gaining the courage to raise my hand in the classroom was a daunting task. I began questioning my early career goal. How could someone who suffers from such bashfulness ever become a lawyer? After this realization, I immediately began exploring other options, none of...